Mary Jane Cowles joined the Kenyon faculty in 1989, after teaching both French and Spanish for a number of years at St. Mary's College of Maryland. In addition to courses in French language and culture, she has taught courses in her major area of expertise, nineteenth-century French literature. Other courses have focused on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century literature, film, drama and literary theory.

Among her research interests are French Romanticism, French film and psychoanalytic theory. In 2004-05, she served as on-site directory of the Sweet Briar College Junior Year in France.

Areas of Expertise

Nineteenth-century French literature and Romanticism, French film studies and film theory, psychoanalytic theory.

Education

1986 — Doctor of Philosophy from Princeton University

1978 — Master of Arts from Princeton University

1975 — Bachelor of Arts from Mount Holyoke College, Phi Beta Kappa

Courses Recently Taught

This course is a continuation of the first semester of intensive introductory French. During the second semester, students further the study of the fundamentals of French including literary and cultural materials, introduced with a view toward increasing reading comprehension and writing ability, expanding vocabulary, and enhancing cultural awareness. This course includes required practice sessions with a teaching assistant, which are scheduled at the beginning of the semester. Prerequisite: FREN 111Y or permission of instructor. Offered every spring.

Few events in world history were as cataclysmic as the French Revolution. The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the basic events of the revolution and to expose them to the conflicting interpretations of those events, particularly as they are portrayed in literature and film. In so doing, the course will explore different authors' visions of history and the creation of a mythology surrounding the Revolution. Discussion of fictional narratives will be enriched by allusions to revolutionary art and music in order to elucidate the role of symbol in political ideology. Readings will include selected essays and excerpts from historical narratives, as well as major works by Beaumarchais, Balzac, Hugo and Anatole France. We also will discuss major feature films by directors Renoir, Wadja, Gance and others. FREN 321 is recommended. Prerequisite: FREN 213Y–214Y or equivalent. Generally offered every third year.